


The Misadventures of Da'asha Adaar, Dalish Vashoth

by CaedHarlowe



Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Inquisition rewrite, Non-Binary Inquisitor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-11
Updated: 2015-10-11
Packaged: 2018-04-25 20:45:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4975894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaedHarlowe/pseuds/CaedHarlowe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Da'asha Adaar was waiting for something to go wrong at the Conclave. They did not expect just <i>how</i> wrong things would go. Herald, sure. How bad could it be?</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Misadventures of Da'asha Adaar, Dalish Vashoth

There were caves near one of the Clan’s camping grounds. Full of twisting, sloping tunnels where the water ran down to form a chilling lake, lit by bioluminescent moss and the soft green light that reflected off the water.

It was the first thing Da’asha thought of when they saw the unending space around them. The ground was both spongy and rocky, but they were grateful for it when they pushed themself up and collapsed right back down, their hand giving out. Da’asha was distracted from triaging when huge creatures skittered towards them, pincers clicking and each one’s ten eyes fixed on them. They scrabbled up a nearby slope towards a figure limned in sickly green light.

“Take my hand.” The woman’s voice echoed, too close and too distant at once, and Da’asha sobbed with exertion as they kicked a creature and reached out to clasp hands with her. A concussive force rocked through their body and everything went white.

 

~O~

 

Da’asha’s wrists were secured in front of themself with thick metal shackles, and Da’asha could already tell it was going to bruise. They wiggled their toes and fingers. All still working. Light seeped through a doorway in front of them and shone from a wall sconce behind them.

Crackling energy interrupted their stocktake. It shot up their arm and chased their blood through their body. Lightning, the colour from that _other_ place, arced across their vision and left them gasping as two women entered the room. Soldiers Da’asha hadn’t even noticed sheathed their swords with a synchronicity even the best dancing troupe would envy.

The woman with dark hair and sharp cheekbones circled Da’asha and bent until their faces were almost touching.

“Tell me why we shouldn’t kill you now. The Conclave is destroyed. Everyone who attended is dead. Except for you.”

“Lucky me.” Da’asha growled as another pulse of energy arced through their body. Their back seized up and they clamped their mouth shut over a scream.

“Lucky indeed.” The hooded woman had an Orlesian accent. “What do you remember?”

Da’asha took a deep breath through their nose and slowly unclenched their jaw. They took time to roll the Common around their head.

“Animals. Spiders, parasites, bigger than mabari. One woman. All green light.” Da’asha concealed their smugness as Cheekbones and Hood exchanged surprised glances over their accent.

“Green light? There’s green light everywhere. _What did you do_?” Cheekbones yanked Da’asha forward by the chain tying their wrists to the floor.

Hood stepped forward and pushed cheekbones back with a hand on her chest. “We need her, Cassandra.”

“ _Them_.”

“What?” Hood looked at them. Da’asha glared at her.

“I am Da’asha. I am _them_.”

Cassandra shrugged at Hood. “Go to the forward camp, Leliana. I will take the prisoner to the Rift.” Leliana did not so much walk as prowl from the room. A dangerous one, cold and creeping like hypothermia.

Cassandra knelt and released the wrist cuffs. Da’asha rolled their wrists as they stood.

“What used to happen?” From Cassandra's expression, they’d used the wrong word. Da’asha winced.

“‘What did happen’, or ‘what happened’. We have translators who can help you later. It will be easier to show you.”

Once outside, Da’asha finally understood everybody’s suspicion. Even so far away, the green vortex was huge. Chunks of stone - they must have been the size of houses - spun lazily around its axis. Cassandra spoke of Rifts and demons and the end of the world while Da’asha listened in a daze.

From an early age, Da’asha had been the one to volunteer for the Clan’s hardest tasks. Gratitude had fueled them at first. Then competition. By the time they got their vallaslin, rising to the challenge had become a habit. They would gladly overcome this one.

Da’asha simultaneously felt and saw the Breach expand in a pulse that brought them to their knees with a cry. The gash on their left hand seeped green light instead of blood, and tendrils of light wrapped around their fingers.

Hunched over, they heard Cassandra warn, “Each time the breach expands, your mark spreads, and it is killing you. It is our only known chance to stop this. We _must_ hurry.”

“How?” Da’asha looked up as the pain abated. They met Cassandra’s consternation with raised brows.

“Our fade specialist assures me that two Rifts - for the Mark on your hand is one such - will resonate with each other, so to speak, until one overloads the other and destroys it.”

Da’asha looked at their hand, alarmed and hopeful at once. “This rift? Destroyed?”

Cassandra was was shaking her head before they finished speaking. “Unlikely. Solas tells me you anchor it to reality.”

Da’asha wasn’t sure they wanted to meet this Solas. _Pride_. Self-awareness, or arrogance? Regardless—

“I will help.” Until Da’asha regained their memories, it could be that they were responsible for what happened.

“Thank you.”

Cassandra led Da’asha past the crowds with their visceral fear-anger, and explained the need to see past what had happened and into what needed to be done. She cut the ropes still holding Da’asha’s hands together.

“You must test your Mark on something smaller than the Breach. Come, there is a nearby rift.”

Together, Da’asha and Cassandra fought their way through demons and knee-deep snow. Cassandra was a skilled fighter, using her shield as both protection and weapon, each swing of her sword perfectly chosen for maximum damage. Da’asha was just happy their own blade withstood the demon ichor.

Da’asha bounded up a set of winding steps as Cassandra announced, “They are just up ahead, with the Rift.” Da’asha paused.

“They?”

“Solas and,” Cassandra wrinkled her nose, “well, you’ll meet them both in a moment.”

Demons and soldiers fought in the belly of a ruined building. Da’asha leapt down to aid them,  sword already drawn. They sliced through the demons, one, two. A dwarf with a giant crossbow took out the last one, and a ragged elf grabbed Da’asha Marked hand and shoved it into the Rift. The cluster of floating crystals collapsed in on itself, leaving nothing but a pile of gray residue beneath itself. The elf kicked a fresh crystal out of the mess, wiped it clean, and pocketed it.

The magic, the ears, the assurance of what would happen... “You’re Solas.” Solas glanced at Cassandra.

“The prisoner wanted to know how their Mark could help. You were mentioned.” Solas looked vaguely pleased as he turned to Da’asha.

“And you are the one who can seal the rifts.”

Da’asha hummed. “Good thought.”

“then it works.” Cassandra said with satisfaction. “Let up hope it can also close the Breach.”

“Let up hope,” Solas repeated. He spoke to Da’asha. “It seems you hold the key to our salvation.”

It was then the dwarf decided to join the conversation. He had an easy grin.  “Good to know! Here I thought we’d be ass-deep in demons forever. Varric Tethras; rogue, storyteller, and occasionally unwelcome tagalong.” He winked at Cassandra, who sneered and turned away.

“I’m Da’asha. Valo-kaskara, artificer, prisoner of Cassandra. I am they.” Da’asha felt very clearly on that point.

“Valo-what? Sounds Qunari.”

“Valo-Kaskara. Qunlat.” Da’asha nodded and pulled their sword from its back holster. They eyed it, discarded it to the snow and walked over to a promising weapon they’d seen lying by a corpse. It was nothing brilliant, but the wide longsword was in better condition than their last one. They slid it onto their back and returned to the group.

Varric Tethras seemed open, at least on the surface. Clever tongue, clever fingers. He had his soul in his crossbow and knew how to use it. An acceptable companion.

“Next Rift?” Da’asha hoped the splintering ache in their bones would recede as they closed more Rifts.

“To the forward camp, first. We need to meet with Leliana before any attempt to close the Breach is made. You are still a prisoner.”

Da’sha rolled their eyes and huffed. “Vashedan. _I never should have agreed to Keeper’s suggestion. She purposely asked me after I’d been out in the heat all day_ ,” they muttered as they vaulted over the low fence and onto the only visible path. “Follow me.”

Solas gave them an inscrutable look before stepping over the fence, followed by Cassandra and Varric, who were busy bickering about Varric’s role in whatever organisation had sprung up in the Breach’s wake.

They reached the camp with only minimal distractions and a single Rift. To their immense relief, Da’asha did feel marginally less wearied by the Mark.

 

~O~

 

Leliana was arguing with an irate chancellor. He seemed thoroughly displeased by Leliana, Cassandra, Da’asha, and anything else he could think of.

Da’asha poked through meagre supplies of potions and weapons as Cassandra put up an admirable counter to whatever Common the Chancellor was jabbering. They had not met many noblefolk, but Cassandra stood like Da’asha had always imagined they would, spine straight and Orlesian Game face impassive. The sigil on her breastplate was, so far, unique, which suggested she was part of some elite corps. A woman accustomed to command.

The Chancellor had progressed to expansive arm-waving and winger-pointing. Da’asha let his words flow over them, picked out what they could. And they were trying to pull rank on each other.

“You have no leader. I have the Mark. I close the breach.” They didn’t have the patience to find softer words.

Cassandra overrode the Chancellor and suggested charging with the soldiers, straight through the main body of demons. A fast, dangerous assault. Leliana suggested taking the circuitous mountain path. It would take longer to circumnavigate the demons, but a scouting party had gone missing in the mountain ruins, their fate unknown. Da’asha knew which option they would pick.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, this is gonna be a rewrite. Here's to hoping my changes haven't already been done to death.


End file.
